After Spending $100 At Aldi, Here's How I (Barely) Fed A Family Of 4 For 7 Days - Tasting Table

"To prepare, I spent a lot of time meal planning, before combing through Aldi's website to compile my shopping list and get a price ballpark for everything. I made swaps to keep costs down - IE buying uncooked beans, or white bread instead of whole wheat - and was able to stay under budget. Still, these meals are pretty limited when based purely on the serving size on the nutrition label."

"I ultimately spent $92.34 because I had to make some swaps based on availability. I stuck with mainly whole ingredients to keep costs down, meaning there are things like oats, uncooked beans, or rice. I tried to get a range of proteins, carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables, as well, and found that frozen fruit and vegetable options were often cheaper (and came in a larger size) than fresh versions. For example, a 24-ounce bag of frozen strawberries cost $4.29, whereas 16-ounces of fresh ones cost $3.29."

"Additionally, I bought meal ingredients with the expectation that basics (like cooking oil and seasonings) would already be stocked at home. I didn't have wiggle room in the budget for premade snacks, but some ingredients could be eaten as a snack between meals. In short, it's certainly feasible to feed a family of four for seven days with $100 at Aldi - but it'll be tight. Without further ado, here's what I came up with."

Careful meal planning and price-checking at Aldi can allow a family of four to be fed for seven days on a $100 grocery budget, with some flexibility required. Choosing whole ingredients, uncooked beans, oats, rice, and white bread reduces cost, and frozen fruits and vegetables often provide larger quantity for lower price than fresh. The budget assumes basic pantry items like cooking oil and seasonings are already available, excludes premade snacks, and leaves little room for extra foods. Final shopping spending of $92.34 shows feasibility but indicates meals based on label serving sizes may require supplementing for hungrier family members.

Read at Tasting Table